GeekAustin Free Classes

Daniel and I already have a pretty full schedule for the spring GeekAustin free classes. However, following the kerfuffle surrounding the City of Austin's website design, quite a few folks came to us asking if there were any local resources for learning Drupal. There is at least one Austin Drupal user group, but it's members are mostly folks who already have some facility with Drupal.

So, following some conversations with those who expressed interest, we have decided to host a (free) Introduction to Drupal workshop. This group will be halfway between a class and a study group. The group will meet once a week for 8 weeks. We will start from the very beginning -- installing Drupal on a Linux machine. Over the following weeks we will cover several mini projects including: setting up a job board, an event calendar, and a wiki. We will also cover the basics of theming. We will have guest speakers at several of the classes.

The two books from which we will draw material for the class are: 1) Using Drupal, by Jeff Robbins, and 2) Pro Drupal Development, by John K. VanDyk. If you don't already have a Linux-based computer, we are making arrangements with local computer shops to supply them for about 50-65 dollars.

Tentatively, the first session is set for the last week of May. For more details, or to reserve a space, send a note to linearb@gmail.com.

Let's make Austin a Drupal town! - Lynn
Austin Drupal users Facebook group

Here are the next set of upcoming GeekAustin Free classes.

1) Basic Unix/Linux for DBAs -- this class is geared toward MS SQL Server/Access folks who want to get a better handle on *nix for MySQL/Oracle/Postgresql, etc.
2) MySQL Developer certification prep -- this will be held immediately following the *nix for DBAs class.
3) Basic SQL Queries -- this is an abbreviated version of our basic SQL class. This class deals specifically with queries. The class meets for 5 sessions.

We are also considering hosting a CCNA certification prep. Quite a few folks have been asking for it. If you are interested in adding your name to the list, send me a note at linearb@gmail.com.

Although we call them 'classes', some of the sessions are equal part class and equal part study group. We are finding that, with the more advanced topics, many of the folks bring considerable experience to the group. Adopting a more participatory framework allows all to benefit from each other's experience.

If you are interested in hearing more about the GeekAustin free classes, look me up at BarCampAustin.

Here's the scoop. The class begins on Wednesday February 11th, and will meet every Wednesday, 7:15PM, at Union Park downtown, for eight weeks. Sun charges $1995.00 for this same class. The GeekAustin class is free. We still have a few seats left.

There are three core MySQL certifications: 1)MySQL Associate, 2) MySQL DBA, and 3) MySQL Developer. The MySQL Associate certification is not tied to any particular version of MySQL, but focuses on details of using MySQL that are universal no matter what version of the software you are using.

It is our goal to prepare you to successfully pass the test by the time you complete the class.

Although the class is free, you will be required to have a copy of the MySQL 5.0 Certification Guide. You can purchase it online at Amazon, BookPool, or NerdBooks. You can also save money by reading it online at Safari. You will not be required to read the whole book -- only about a third of it.

You will also be required to have MySQL installed on a computer. For the Associate certification, it doesn't matter whether you use Linux or Windows. The test covers material common to all versions of MySQL.

This is what the exam covers:

• Theory, Terminology and Concepts (10%)
  • Client/Server Concepts
  • Database and Database Objects
• Data Definition using SQL (25%)
  • Databases
  • Data Types
  • Tables
  • Constraints and Indexes
  • Views
• Basic Data Manipulation using SQL (25%)
  • Recurring SQL Constructs
  • Adding data
  • Modifying data
  • Removing data
  • Searching data
• Advanced Data Manipulation using SQL (20%)
  • Expressions
  • Grouping and Aggregate Functions
  • Joining Tables
• Transactions (10%)
  • Transaction Concepts
  • SQL for working with Transaction
• Import/Export (10%)
  • Tools for Import/Export
  • SQL for Import/Export

We will cover all the above material in the class. We have keyed the course material to the book, so that you won't have to waste time covering material which may not be on the test.

We will only be teaching this class one time this year. The remaining seats are first come, first served. To sign up, send an email to linearb@gmail.com

-Lynn

Daniel and I have been busily working on the curricula and materials for the upcoming GeekAustin classes. Tentatively, these are the free classes we will be offering in 2009:

1) MySQL Associate Certification Prep
2) MySQL Administrator Certification Prep
3) Introduction to PL/SQL
4) Basic Unix/Linux for DBAs
5) Intermediate topics in SQL
6) Basic SQL Performance Tuning.

The classes vary from 3-10 sessions. We will be offering each of these free classes only one time in 2009. We are considering offering the basic SQL class one more time right after the beginning of the new year. We will only offer it once on 2009. We limit the class size, and despite the fact that we haven't yet made a formal announcement, most of the classes are already half full. If you are interested in any of the above classes and would like to get on the list, send me a note at linearb@gmail.com. The free classes are taught downtown on weekday evenings.

We also offer the basic SQL class on-site for local companies. For rates, contact me at lynn.bender@gmail.com.

The current GeekAustin free SQL class is about midway to completion. These are the upcoming free classes we are considering: 1) MySQL certification prep class, 2) SQL 102 (advanced joins and subqueries), 3) SQL performance tuning, and 4) Basic Unix/Linux skills. If you are interested in any of the above, send me a note at linearb@gmail.com.

Feels like 2001! Remember the last dip? I do. Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear about a round of tech layoffs. Friends all over town are reporting hiring freezes and layoffs at their companies. Although Dell is asking employees to "take unpaid leave", and offering severance packages to "those who qualify", their goal of reducing operations costs almost certainly points to significant layoffs in the near future. What a bad time to be smacked with a discrimination lawsuit.

On a brighter note, whurley just confirmed BarCampAustin4. Don't count on battlebots. Expect whurley to outdo himself yet again.

Finally, GeekAustin now hosts several "recruiter free" special interest groups on LinkedIn:

Austin Database Pros
Austin Electrical Engineers
Austin IT Security Pros
Austin Java Developers
Austin Linux Users
Austin QA Professionals

Have a good weekend!

-Lynn

-An accidental series of discoveries-

I have found that one of the biggest hurdles in hosting an event is to find the right venue -- one that people feel comfortable at, one that is suitable for the type of event you are hosting, and one that doesn't require me to break the budget. Any decent venue up in North Austin -- like Cool River, NXNW, etc -- already does a booming business during the week. They don't need the 200+ people I'll bring. In fact, they'll most likely want me to sign a contract guaranteeing that a certain amount of money will be spent. After 8 years of GeekAustin events, I have a pretty good idea of how much folks drink at an event -- and it's generally it's 3-7 dollars less per person than what I'll need to guarantee for x amount of space up North.

Contrast this with downtown. I can walk into pretty much any club downtown on a weeknight, saying : "Can I bring 200 of my friends here next Tuesday?", and immediately I've got a new friend. No contracts. No guarantees. Just "thanks." There are clubs of all sizes downtown. One can find multiple venues for groups of 20 to 600. Bear in mind, I am not talking about getting a venue during a club's bread and butter nights -- Friday and Saturday. I am talking about Monday through Wednesday, and for some venues, Thursday as well. This is why GeekAustin events are almost always downtown. I try to never displace a club's regular customers. I simply bring them additional business they wouldn't have had otherwise.

This is the same reason why so many of the BarCamp and BarCamp type events are held downtown. During the week, and during the day, there are a multitude of spaces available for little or no cost.

-From BarCamp to BarCollege-

When Daniel and I announced that we would be offering free SQL classes to individuals, an interesting but not unexpected thing happened. In addition to 100+ folks who asked to be included in the SQL classes, we had folks sending queries like "Will you be teaching JavaScript classes?", "Do you know where I can get Python classes?", etc. The following idea hit us over the head like a two by four:

With all the the available space during the day and during the week, we could easily turn 6th street and the warehouse district into a campus, where the tuition is a two drink minimum!

Imagine what a cool thing this will be for Austin. Instead of following the valley, here's something we can take the lead on. I don't know a city that has done this. Do you? Imagine downtown clubs filled during weeknights with people learning JavaScript, CSS, Linux, system administration, shell scripting, Cisco IOS, SharePoint, Java -- whatever someone is willing to teach and share.

This whole idea is too big for Daniel and I alone. We decided to offer the classes because we like meeting new people, sharing our skills, and love talking about SQL. We don't want to become coordinators for some massive enterprise. Fortunately, this does not need to be a massive enterprise. It does not need to have a organization to make it happen. For all the folks who use every opportunity to make themselves the hub of all things high tech Austin, your Grand Marshall services will not be required at this time. All that is needed are folks who are willing to share their skills.

There are already examples in Austin of similar skill sharing going on. Damon Clinkscales has done a tremendous amount to educate folks about Rails and build a strong Rails community in Austin. Scott Killen, Boris Portman, and all the folks at Agile Austin are doing the same to build a community focused on good programming practice. RefreshAustin does a great job of keeping members abreast of best practices in design and usability. I'm am merely suggesting that we take this a step further. In addition to presenting topics for those who have already acquired sufficient skills to be included in a particular tech community, let's offer basic instruction so that new folks can hop on board.

You might be asking yourself: "What will I get out of it?". Here are a few thoughts. Most computer book authors wrote their first book not because they hoped to make money off it, but rather because the recognition would allow them to increase their hourly rate. Similarly, as soon as Daniel and I announced the free SQL classes, we gained several new corporate clients. Everyone wins. You help strengthen the downtown economy, you help folks acquire new skills, and you expand and grow your community.

Thinking of stealing this idea? Please do. I want you to steal this idea. If you have a skill that everyone wants, share it. With LinkedIn, Facebook, and all the other tools at your disposal, you won't have any problem finding takers. Want to teach in Austin but don't know how to go about finding a venue? I'll be posting more about that soon. Until then, feel free to send me an email at linearb@gmail.com.

For those don't live in Austin, go ahead. Copy us. Steal this idea.

-Linear